Literature

The focus of this chapter is on the conceptualization of Africa in the discipline of Literature; a field that dedicates itself to the curation of written and spoken words and works. African Literature dedicates itself to issues that concern the African continent, issues that span across its countries, regions and provinces. To make clear the objectives of this chapter, the crucial question that is brought to fore is the following: In what ways have Africa been conceptualized in the field of Literature? Given the broadness of Literature, it will be quite difficult for the answer to this question to cover its multitudinous tentacles. For the task before me, I examine the conceptualization of Africa in the academic discipline of Literature through three lenses: (1) African Literature and the Negritude Movement, (2) Re-examination of gender roles in African Literature, and (3) identity and identity reconstruction in African Literature.